Purchasing Services periodically bids and negotiates a contract for vending services for most areas of the campus. The contracted vendor or vendors have the exclusive right to provide food and soft drinks for sale in the contracted areas. Any department, activity, camp, or sponsored program wishing to provide snack or soft drink items to participants should contact Purchasing for information on how to proceed.
Board of Regents' institutions purchase cars, trucks, and vans cooperatively with the Iowa Department of Administrative Services and the Iowa Department of Transportation. Specifications and bids are prepared jointly each fall for new models. Departments planning to purchase a new vehicle must seek approval of the division head and contact either Purchasing Services or the Transportation Manager no later than July 1 so the request can be included in the cooperative purchase specifications.
Items declared as surplus by any department should be offered or placed within the University if possible. Refer to University Property Policy 8.01 for further additional information. Items may also be used as a trade-in if economically feasible. Disposition thereafter will require soliciting bids, public auction or sale, or dismantling for parts. Contact Purchasing Services or the Fixed Asset Accountant in the Office of Business Operations with questions.
Specifications should be prepared to assure competition is not restricted or precluded. All requests for purchases at public expense should, whenever possible and practical, be made in general terms addressing functionality rather than brand or trade names. Brand names and/or reference/model numbers, when used, should be for reference purposes, or to indicate the character or quality desired.
Recognition is also given to standardization and compatibility requirements which should be maintained for purposes of cost efficient replacement and maintenance.
There are many unreliable and unscrupulous suppliers out there, with most being nothing more than telephone scams. Schools are often prime targets because of their many and varied departments. It is wise never to place phone orders with or pay any invoice to a company you are unsure of or have doubts about. Usually when goods are supplied by these suppliers, they are priced outrageously, sometimes four times the normal cost. Toners and office supplies are the most likely supplies to be offered, but advertising or listings in catalogs or newspapers run a close second.
As a general guideline requests for purchase of goods and services over $5,000 shall be submitted on an electronic requisition. The requisition form is located ine-Business suite applications. Access is limited to users who have a username and password that provides security to departmental accounts.
When a department submits an electronic requisition and all electronic approvals have been added, the requisition becomes available to Purchasing to create a corresponding purchase order. Upon receipt of merchandise from the vendor, the department must then 'receive' on the corresponding purchase order for the items that have been received. The receiving information must be entered in the Oracle system in order for payment to be initiated to the vendor.
The Purchasing and Payables Manager is the authorized purchasing officer of the University for all equipment, furnishings, supplies, and services. Purchasing is authorized to establish and implement University Purchasing Procedures. Purchase orders placed by individuals outside of purchasing procedures may be considered a personal transaction between the vendor and the individual.
A PO is the usual and official method of purchase for items $5,000 or more. (If amount is under $5,000, please use the procurement card, request for payment, or reimbursement procedure). Purchase orders are issued by the Purchasing Office and are generated from the department requisition. Departments can follow the progress of their request by going to 'tools' and selecting 'view action history'. Purchasing can take no action on the requisition until all required approvals have been obtained. Once approved the requisition is available to the buyer to create the purchase order.
Professional Service Agreements are contracts for unique, technical and/or infrequent functions performed by an independent contractor qualified by education, experience and/or technical ability to provide services. In most cases these services are of a specific project nature, and are not a continuing, on-going responsibility of the institution.
